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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28195149">Enigma</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/penoversword223/pseuds/penoversword223'>penoversword223</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Wilds (TV 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, confused gays, they in lurv, wlw</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:42:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,852</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28195149</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/penoversword223/pseuds/penoversword223</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Thought of this in that scene when Shelby says she doesn’t want to see Toni. I love them :)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Shelby Goodkind/Toni Shalifoe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>200</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shelby Goodkind was a complete enigma to the detectives. There were two versions of her: the homophobic, good girl, pageant enthusiast, Jesus freak who most people seemed to accept as the “real Shelby” and the brave, erratic, bold girl who showed herself on the island, who kissed Toni and who saved lives. The “detectives” witnessed the second Shelby through cameras on the island, prerecorded tapes and a random fit of spontaneity upon her arrival when she cut off all her hair. The first Shelby, though, is the one they conducted their interviews with, she was sweet and alluring in her smooth southern drawl. They, however, were not satisfied with this, they needed to see the whole person, all she is capable of and all the island brought out of her.<br/>•••<br/>For this “second Shelby” they turned to the girls. Among them, they found a sort of unspoken agreement. They were more than friends at this point, I mean god they had seen EVERYTHING together, and with that came an unbreakable loyalty. If Shelby wanted the detectives to think she was a Jesus loving perfect girl, that’s exactly the narrative the others would feed. After all they had been through, Shelby deserved this shred of control.<br/>•••<br/>Marty, though, slipped up. Her questions began to take a focus on Toni, her irritability, her loyalty, her passion. When the detective asked, “was Toni always so bad tempered?”, Marty thoughtlessly answered, “Well not after Shelby”. This was all the detectives needed. Maybe Toni would crack and provide some insight into the seemingly polar opposite sides of Shelby.<br/>•••<br/>Toni hated the facility the second she walked through the doors. The cold metal chairs, dark cement walls, and menacing adults transported her back to the CPS and foster care facilities of her youth. This memory Toni tried to shove down, it fought ferociously to be acknowledged or dwelled on, but Toni fought harder, pushing it aside to preserve some sanity. The interviews were uncomfortable but decent at first. She hated recounting these events to people she couldn’t quite trust, the cameras and isolation all felt too Island-like. The “trauma specialist” strikes Toni as a bogus asshole who thought he understood them. Try being stuck on an island man, then you’ll maybe kind of understand us. So, Toni shared sparingly, giving the story but not the emotions or private whispered moments or little joys the girls shared, especially her and Shelby. Until one day, the questions took a turn. They moved away from typical routine questions and answers into an investigation on her and Shelby; their “relationship”, if you could even call it that was now a point of interest.<br/>•••<br/>Toni shut down when it came to Shelby. She cared about her, and felt she understood her, but would never assume where her boundaries and privacy drew a line. If they wanted answers about them, they could ask Shelby herself. When Toni returned to her room, more of a cell if you asked her. She began to think. Why couldn’t she see Shelby? If they were all on the island together what could one have that the other didn’t? Toni didn’t have anyone, but she knew that Shelby had her boyfriend, and her parents, and friends; Marty had her parents; fatin has siblings; Nora and Rachel had good parents; Rachel has an infamous coach. The girls from the island have people, people who would want to see them and push for visits. The fact that she had seen none of that. No one had asked her if she wanted to call someone, or FaceTime someone or write a letter, this struck Toni as suspicious. So, when the door slammed open and Toni was brought back into that cement room again, she was determined to keep her mouth shut. <br/>••• <br/>The detective immediately launched a line of Shelby based questioning to which Toni refused to share even a shred of information. Evidently becoming increasingly frustrated, the detective asked “do you kids think youre a family?” Toni was genuinely dumbfounded by this question. Yes, I mean they lived together for weeks on a deserted island despite all arguments and issues, they survived together and cared for each other. But Toni never really had any family except for Marty, she couldn’t say whether they were family or not, she didn’t know much about it.  In her stuttering attempt for an answer, the self proclaimed “trauma expert” found an opportunity for answers. Toni had a temper, if they set it off in the right direction she might be inclined to offer some more information. She didn’t know enough about family to grant infallible loyalty to any of these girls, even Shelby. <br/>••• <br/>“I just want to make sure you know where you stand with your friends, you care about them but we are here to help and you should be protecting yourself first” the detective announced knowingly. He pulled out a tablet and turned it into tonis view. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Shelby, she looked healthier, less thin and more alive, but she had cut all her hair off. Toni couldn’t care less, hair or no hair Shelby was Shelby and in this video she seemed alright. Then, Toni heard her voice and tension released immediately from her shoulders. Once she focused in on the words, though, the nagging pressure behind her ears multiplied. “Do you want to see Toni?” The detective asked. “No, Leah” Shelby answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. <br/>•••<br/>Toni ran a million questions through her mind at once. Is Shelby still ashamed of her and their relationship? Did what happened mean nothing to them? Was this entirely temporary? What were the other girls saying? Did Toni think too much into their time together? She knew they all had families, she had no one. Maybe Toni only thought they were family because she never had any. Toni looked across the table at the detective with a determined set in her jaw and said “fine, I’ll talk. Ask away.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Just a little add on to clarify some things for the reader. It’s about to get good...heheheh</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shelby had checked item one off on her mental itinerary. She assured Leah that she wasn’t crazy, that she was onto something strange with her suspicions and accusations, even if they were misdirected at Shelby. She knew what it felt like to feel crazy, to feel like you are losing your mind or becoming someone you don’t understand, and she wouldn’t wish that upon anyone, especially not one of her fellow survivors. Now, she was onto item number two, getting to Toni no matter the cost. Shelby had been pushing this goal back for the sake of their little team for her entire stay in this cement dungeon. She lay awake at night staring at the ceiling with only one thought on her mind, seeing Toni.<br/>
•••<br/>
The detective started with a more gentle line of questioning to see how he could best approach this new supposedly “open” Toni. “So Dorothy?” He asked in an inquisitive tone. “Yes, what about her?” Toni asked, she was sick of being prodded at mentally in this way. If they wanted something, they should ask. Not play with her. “She was a member of your group, on the flight when it went down. I’ve heard from some others she had helpful survival skills?”   “Sure” answered Toni, “she was helpful enough. She definitely knew a hell of a lot more about what to do than the rest of us.” “What about her personal life? Did she mention anything defining there?” Tonis mind flashed to Dot’s father, a detail she had shared on a blustery night next to their dwindling fire. “Nope, nada, she was just some girl obsessed with naked and afraid or whatever”. Shelby may have betrayed Toni, but Toni had no reason to believe the others would or have. She needed to control her temper, think rationally and protect this new family, even if Shelby wasn’t a part of it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>to angst or not to angst...that is the question</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shelby began to take a quite Toni like route to her goal: she annoyed the living daylights out of anyone who came near her until she got what she wanted. Sweet talking didn’t work, and she considered herself quite the professional, so instead she took every opportunity she had to repeat the phrase “let me see Toni”. She stared at the camera in her room (creepy if you asked her) for at least an hour a night repeating “let me see Toni” “please let me see her” I know you can hear me!”  and every time that strange pair of the detective and doctor stopped in she would only utter the same words. Nothing seemed to work. She was relieved to get the note to Leah and have some peace of mind, but she needed to see Toni if she wanted to hold on to a shred of sanity. <br/>••• <br/>Toni sat in that cement block room for hours longer than the rest of the girls being drained of information (or so the detectives thought). Every question was met with a sufficient enough answer; they thought they had broken her down and could now bend her as they pleased, but they were wrong. Toni was being frugal with details, leaving blank some of the most important gaps. “Did you and Shelby ever discuss telling the other girls about you two?” The detective asked. “No, it was casual for me and who knows what it was for her, she’s an enigma if you ask me.” Toni responded with ease. She may not be standing on sturdy ground with Shelby right now, but she would not risk over sharing and jeopardizing the others. The answers aligned with the detectives assumptions of Shelby. They knew their must be something below the surface, some mystery to solve or different level to reach, but perhaps Toni was not the untapped fountain of information they had previously thought. <br/>•••<br/>The so called “trauma specialist” began to operate under an entirely different assumption at Toni’s useless openness. Maybe the girls were not as smart and cunning as he had believed. Thus far they seemed unsuspecting and simple, Shelby wanted to see Leah simply to share a hug, Toni was only able to breach the surface of emotions. Perhaps it was time for a new approach. <br/>•••<br/>The door to Shelby’s room clicked open in the early morning. The noise, though soft, cracked through the dull silence enough to wake her from another unfulfilling sleep. Shelby was suspicious, rising slowly as if sudden movement could force the lock back into place. With a shaking hand she pulled on the knob, if her door was unlocked, maybe everyone’s was. Outside the hall in the harshly lit hallway sat a rigid piece of card stock paper folded in a precarious triangle, on it was typed: </p><p>Hello girls, <br/>We are overjoyed to inform you that your quarantine has been reduced to a lower level. Our medical professionals consider it safe for you to interact amongst yourselves. You will find common spaces arranged at the end of halls and please notify us if you need anything, remember we are here for your benefit.</p>
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